Mario Cagna (8 October 1911– 4 April 1986) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who devoted his entire career to the Roman Curia and the diplomatic service of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. He became an archbishop in 1962 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from 1962 until his death.

Biography

Mario Cagna was born on 8 October 1911 in Lu Monferrato, Italy. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Casale Monferrato on 22 July 1934. He joined the diplomatic service in 1937. He served briefly in the Netherlands and then in the Roman Curia in the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments. He returned to the diplomatic service for postings in Peru from 1946 to 1949 and then in the Nunciature to Italy, an unimportant office overshadowed in Italy by the Holy See itself, from 1949 to 1962. On 13 October 1962,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

named him titular archbishop of Heraclea in Europa and Apostolic Internuncio to Japan. He received his episcopal consecration on 18 November 1962 from Cardinal

Amleto Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. C ...

. On 3 September 1966,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

named him Apostolic Delegate to Yugoslavia. His title changed to Pro-Nuncio to Yugoslavia on 22 August 1970; he was the first nuncio in Europe in the postwar period and an agent of the Holy See's policy of rapprochement. On 11 May 1976, Pope John Paul appointed him

Apostolic Nuncio to Austria The Apostolic Nuncio to Austria is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. It originated as t ...

. His career ended with the appointment of his successor,

Michele Cecchini Michele Cecchini (3 March 1920 – 26 April 1989) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who devoted his entire career to the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1969 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from 1969 unti ...

, on 4 December 1984. His final report on the state of the Church in Austria was "a catalogue of woes" ranging from the secularizing trends in society at large to heterodoxy in the seminaries and a too assertive laity. He died on 4 April 1986.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Mario Cagna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagna, Mario 1911 births 1986 deaths People from the Province of Alessandria Officials of the Roman Curia Apostolic Nuncios to Japan Apostolic Nuncios to Yugoslavia Apostolic Nuncios to Austria